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IBC P3 What is Entrepreneurship? Self-perception Part 2

Part of the IBC course:
As I mentioned earlier on my blog, defining entrepreneurship implies a perpetual and conscience self-examination of the person who in fact, tries to answer it. I believe, there are as many definitions of entrepreneurship as there are entrepreneurs.
 

An entrepreneur represents “someone who is striving to make a difference, and ventures through differently” (MLM, 2010). Below, I wrote some entrepreneurial traits and suggestions that I believe an entrepreneur possesses or should possess. Some are theories from the book “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, conclusions I drew during my university years or simply personal opinions:

 

1. Positive thinking is a key tool to visualing the success one strives for. “What would your life look like if  your dreams do come true?” (MLM, 2010)
2. Pragmatic thinking on the other hand, helps conducting rationale decisions that apply to present circumstances/ reality.
 
3. Regret will benefit no one.
4. Lessons learned from past experiences on the other hand, will.
 
5. Everybody wants you to make it, it’s all yours(One Republic song “Made for you”)
 
6. “You need a seed in order to grow a plant” (Richard Backteman – classmate, 2010). Should we find or create opportunities? Humans will always have problems to solve, if not, they will create them. This is our nature. We are capable to genetically/ entrepreneurially modify the already existing seeds/ opportunities.
7. “We are here to build and climb mountains” (Veronika Pereseina – classmate, 2010). Perfectly fine and inspiring, build your dream and visualize how the other side of the mountain would look like. However, instead of climbing the mountain alone, wouldn’t it be better to build a tunnel together with other people and give them the opportunity to cross the same mountain as you? You will then see the other side together.
 
8. Step out of your comfort zone and explore the outer fields of your reality. Thereafter, analyse the newly ventured experiments and draw conclusions. 
 
9. I also believe that living abroad for a longer period of time gives one a broader perspective thus, enlarging at the same time his/her solution-based resources.
 
9.5. Don’t hesitate. Don’t waste time. Is it better to wait until you feel more secure and confident, or step out of your comfort zone and learn from that experience? Don’t walk on thin ice, though.
 
10. Accept plan deviations if changes are necessary and rationally taken.
 
11. Speak your mind. Stand up for your ideas, perceptions and convictions. 
 
12. Listen to what people have to say. Better to express something you already know or listen to something you may not know?
 
13. Be honest, kind and helpful. Engage proactively into different social events where you can gather social capital and sharpen your social skills.
 
14. Don’t let others affect what you represent. Be clear in what your values are and what your expectations are from people.
 
15. Be organized. Keep a calendar with all you want to do on a weekly basis. Be realist. You will gain confidence when you achieve everything you planned as opposed to when you underachieve. Overachieving will bring short-term, more visible benefits but affect your long-term well being. When you’ve completed all your planned assignments and have some free time, spend it with your family, friends or engage in different hobbies/personal projects. 
 
16. Never forget where you started. Your roots will always define a big part of who you are, even if you don’t think so. In the end, it doesn’t matter where you come from, all that matters is where you’re heading. 
 
17. Talk. Discuss. Explain. Persuade yourself and others on your convictions. By talking to someone and trying to explain a certain personal theory with loud and clear words it will bring a clearer understanding and re-conviction of your current state of mind.
 
18. Never give up on your dreams.
 
19. Care to Strive and Dare. Don’t be afraid of criticism, if constructive, accept and appreciate, else-ways, argue politely why you think you are right. 
 
20. Be patient and persistent. Rome was not built in one day and neither will you be able to shape your own story into tangible or intangible outcomes that influence either business or society nowadays, but on a daily basis persistence. 
 
21. Question and find reasons for why certain things work one way or another. I personally don’t think that we can always be capable of understanding and explaining everything that we question. We will always face more questions than acquire answers. Our imagination creates more questions and dreams than we are capable to solve and realize during our lifetime. That is the beauty our ancestors lent us and same beauty will be passed on to our descendants.
 
List to be refined as I venture myself deeper into the entrepreneurial journey.
MLM, 2010

5 comments on “IBC P3 What is Entrepreneurship? Self-perception Part 2

  1. Hi Mihai,

    I have read your blog and it is very interesting.

    I find it quite risky that your arguments won't be based on others' trials to defining Entrepreneurship therein, including my IBC lecturers. While this is an assignment for the course IBC, thus this blog should be written on an academic way. On the other hand I admire (and maybe even envy) the entrepreneur inside you, that wants to do it on it's own way.

    Regarding the blog. I don't agree that an entrepreneur should possess all these traits. I do not even think their are all traits. For example the second 9.

    Nevertheless, good luck with your future (Erasmus House). And keep dreaming, if you can turn them into memories.

    Regards,

    Stef

  2. Hi Stef,
    Thanks for your personalized feedback. I cannot agree more, it is risky not to base your arguments on others' trials to do so, but at the same time, one can also call it unconventional, or in our case, entrepreneurial. Would you agree with that?

    All the points I tried to make in this article was more of an amalgam of life experiences that apply greatly to entrepreneur (or at least to me), they're not necessarily traits, such as the 9th, but it greatly relates to the field of entrepreneurship and innovation. People with international background do have more solution-based resources and entrepreneurial skills than ones who haven't lived abroad, as demonstrated by the Harvard Business Review.

    Cheers,
    Mihai

  3. Hej, Mihai!

    It was my pleassure! to read Your blog and even find my name there 🙂 I agree with Stef about Your great entrepreneurial spirit and also self-confidence in stating your own entrepreneurial journey both in theoretical and practical views.

    Answering the question in 7…I guess the tunnel is another visualization of the decision- and action- process in order to achive the goal, which is great to build TOGETHER, I think. But, in any case, either building a mountain or tunnel, it is important to find the right person who You can do it with (therefore analysis of partnership techniques may be applied here). Then, giving the opportunity to others to come the same way, YES, but entrepreneur is sometimes to be the first who does it and then obtains followers.

    In overall, i need to say thanks for presenting your states of being in this life,even though for some it may seem to be in unpropriate place as in this blog, but on the other hand, it is entrepreneurial course and it was inspiring to read it. I also think it will be really interesting to see which of Your claimed traits remain and which change with the time, or which You will add later…

    And as the last comment…You are citing Kin Kudi “Long before we know ourselves, our paths are already set in stone…” Here I feel to extract the words from Yulia Kazakulova blog: “It is easier to make the future, than to forecast it”, which should, I also believe, to be entrepreneurial slogan. It is a question for me as well: To which extent we can MAKE it?

    Regards,
    Veronika

  4. Hi Veronika and many thanks to your comment. I believe that we as humans can achieve what we aim at, there is no extent, it might just take longer time. Genuine desire and passion towards what you want to achieve I believe are extremely important to creating a full capacity of building on that dream, job, hobby, relationship, you name it!

    As you also said, it is a bit unconventional this way of mine of doing things, including this blog. But I'm looking at the bigger picture here and realized that I have more to learn from these kind of more personal blogs than pure references to what others created. I prefer a genuine entrepreneurial journey creation than a good grade based on literature references. And yes, I am also curious which of these traits will remain valid in 10 years, which will change and which I will/ will not be able to acquire… But it will be an interesting way of looking back in time and realize the things you thought and believed in!

    Good luck with your exams and talk to you soon!

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